About “Rings”

In “Rings,” Aesop Rock reflects on his memories of being a young visual artist and the twenty or more years he spent convinced he would make a career out of it. It’s a story of lost passions, nostalgia, and dwelling on the “what if?” question he has had for his own life.

When he announced the song and video on Facebook, he said about the song:

Rings reflects on my failure as a visual artist, and some of the regret I’ve experienced in regards to not pursuing it further.

Fans of Aesop Rock will notice the lyrics of this song are almost uncharacteristically straight-forward and don’t require much by way of translation in comparison with his other work. While most of his albums have at least a couple of songs written this way, it may be safe to assume it’s because he wants everyone who listens to it to understand it – it’s important to Aes that people learn from his experience because it’s been eating at him for years.